Anyone who lives in Chicago is probably going to have to play host eventually -- that’s just what happens when you choose to live in an affordable, accessible, way-cool big city. You could certainly point your friends and family from out of town in the direction of The Bean, great museums like the Art Institute, a show in the Theatre District, one of the big observation decks, or any number of other downtown tourist must-do’s (and, frankly, those things are super fun for first-timers -- don’t @ us).

But if you want your guests to really fall in love with Chicago and feel super jealous you get to live here rather than just visit, it would be wise to go a little deeper in your suggestions for things to do. Luckily for you, we’ve compiled this list of things to do in the city that both you and your friends visiting can get really excited for. And, don't worry: None of them involve Navy Pier.

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Chill in any of our many parks

FreeVarious locations As the oldest and one of the largest park districts in the US, the Chicago Park District operates 580 parks that stretch out across 8,100 acres of municipal parkland. It would be a shame not to pay at least one of them a visit for an urban nature escape. Lincoln Park and Grant Park get most of the visitor’s attention, but Humboldt Park and Jackson Park are other less-visited crown jewels of the park system that you would be a prince to introduce your crew to.

Hike the glorious 606

FreeRuns along Bloomingdale Trail between Ashland and Ridgeway Modeled after NYC’s High Line, The 606 urban hiking trail is the best way to see the city’s neighborhoods with a little nature thrown into the mix. The 2.7-mile elevated pathway along an old railway line passes through neighborhoods like Bucktown, Logan Square, and Humboldt Park, with plenty of cool bars and restaurants along the way to stop off at for a little pick-me-up, including Handlebar and Weegee’s Lounge.

Stroll the lakefront across a stretch of neighborhoods

FreeVarious locations You ain’t seen Chicago until you’ve seen Chicago from the lakefront. Make it happen (for free) by strolling any portion of the 18-mile lakefront path from Ardmore Street to 71st. You can also tour by Divvy bike or Segway if you’ve already ingested too much Italian sausage.

FreeStreeterville Chicago beaches are one of the best things about Chicago summer, yours to enjoy at less crowded but still centrally located spots like the criminally underrated Ohio Street Beach. With its on-site Caffe Oliva slinging drinks and fish tacos with the downtown buildings to one side and the equally underrated Milton Lee Olive Park on the other, there’s not a bad view to be had.

Devour an Italian beef sandwich

$Little Italy/University Village No doubt Johnnie's Beef in suburban Elmwood Park certainly makes a damn fine Italian beef sandwich. But if you’re in the city with out-of-towners and want to show them a unique slice of life, a trip to Chicago’s Little Italy/University Village neighborhood should be high on your agenda. Pair your beef sandwich from the historic neighborhood Al’s Beef stand with an Italian ice from Mario’s Italian Ice to give your visitors a a damn fine taste of old-school Chicago.

Do deep dish -- the right way

$Various locations So yeah, most out-of-towners will inevitably inquire about deep dish pizza at some point in the conversation. While you can tell them that that Chicagoans by far prefer thin-crust pizza and that the tourist-packed deep dish joints downtown are akin to Michael Scott’s visit to the Times Square Sbarro, there are still neighborhood joints doing deep dish the right way. Pequod’s in Lincoln Park is a fine example within city limits, with Burt’s Place out in suburban Grove is more than worthy of a little road trip.

$South Loop It's been a last meal request. It's been a hangover cure. President Obama dined there. As did President Clinton. As did just about every politician who ever set foot in Chicago. And so should you. Power lunch on a Reuben or beef pastrami in this legendary cafeteria-style diner where business (and the occasional shady deal, of course) gets done in Chicago.

Get weird at a weird museum

$Various locations While a trip to the Museum of Science & Industry or Shedd Aquarium is never a bad idea, did you know Chicago also hosts a Video Game Art Gallery? And a leather museum with bondage exhibits? And a creepy International Museum of Surgical Sciences which houses medical artifacts like amputation saws and a plaster mask made from the death mask of Napoleon? Bottom line: We've got some amazing museums, and there’s no shortage of places to get weird on a rainy day in Chicago.

Explore Chinatown (by foot or by boat)

$Various locations Your guests will feel like they’ve entered another world when they enter Chicago’s Chinatown, where a food tour seems like as good an idea as anything. You can also check out a secret ping-pong club in a Chinatown back alley and, for a truly authentic experience not a lot of tourists know about, ride the water taxi in from Ping Tom Memorial Park.

Catch a show at any of Chicago's live music venues

$-$$Various locations Whether you’re grooving to indie rock at Empty Bottle or head-banging to punk at Reggie’s, there’s never a dull moment in Chicago’s thriving underground music scene. The Hideout (which has a bizarre history) is another local gem, and, if that’s not enough, you’ve got plenty of good old-fashioned bars regularly serving up live music as well (California Clipper, anyone?).

Try a shot of Malort at one of our many dive bars

$-$$Various locations All cities have dive bars, of course. But in what other city are they as integral to the fabric of the local culture as Chicago? Debate such heady questions at shining (or not-so-shining) beacons of local dive bar glory like Old Town Ale House, which the late Roger Ebert called “The best bar in the world that I know about." Tour them by neighborhood or, if you really want to go off the map, venture into these largely unknown dens of dive bar obscurity. Not sure if you’re in a real Chicago dive? Look for the signs and the Malort, one of our finest liqueur innovations.

Sip on drinks and make new friends at a slashie

$-$$Various locations Dive bars are one thing, but many out-of-towners have a strange fascination with the Chicago slashie. Half bar/half liquor store, these dwindling palaces of local intrigue can be found in select locations across the city (if you know where to look). But if you had to pick one, a visit to the iconic Rite Liquors is a must for any adventurous itinerary.

$$$Lincoln Park There are restaurants, and then there are the most expensive restaurants around. But you only live once, as the kids like to say, so if your friends happen to be of the well-heeled variety, let that YOLO spirit guide you to one of Chicago’s (and the world’s) top restaurants. The world-famous Alinea is a spot you should visit at least once in your lifetime. And if someone else is picking up the tab, even better.

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$-$$Various locations Chicago is blessed with a large and diverse base of neighborhood record stores, which will help any out-of-town guest get a feel for the hood they are exploring. From Reckless Records in Wicker Park to Hyde Park Records in Hyde Park, there are plenty of cool new sounds (and vinyl) on offer from Chicago’s welcoming music head community.

Pair craft beer with Donkey Kong at an arcade bar like Emporium

$-$$Logan Square Looking to relive your childhood glory by playing games of Space Invaders with a joystick in one hand and an ice-cold Revolution beer in the other? Then it might be time to pay a visit to one of Chicago’s arcade bars, the most famous of which would be the Emporium empire spread out across the city -- hands-down one of our best bars in the city. The Logan Square location is a particularly lively place, with plenty of year-round special events and diversions (including themed pop-ups) that will happily eat up hours of your time.

$-$$Uptown Jazz fans will find plenty to love at Chicago’s legendary Green Mill, formerly Al Capone's favorite bar and one of the oldest bars in the city. These days, it’s one of the top jazz clubs in the nation that also hosts an array of eclectic events from poetry slams to a weekly “live magazine.” With stiff drinks and a bustling dance floor, it’s also the kind of place that makes you instantly feel cooler just by walking through the door.

Hit an indie bookstore (yes, they still exist)

$-$$Various locations Think Amazon destroyed the local indie bookstore? Think again when you visit Chicago. Like record stores, Chicago maintains a number of great neighborhood shops where you can take in the local culture while expanding your cultural knowledge. Wicker Park has a nice collection of shops including Myopic Books and Quimby’s, while Armadillo’s Pillow is a North Side gem in Rogers Park. For a bit more of an out-there appeal, try Space Oddities in Humboldt Park or Challengers Comics in Logan Square.

$-$$Various locations Craft beer is big business in Chicago. And while most people have heard of Goose Island, the city is teeming with an array of craft breweries and new tap rooms from the big boys of Revolution and Lagunitas to the more locally known Off Color and Marz. Most breweries offer free tours, which is never a bad way to spend an afternoon when you need to entertain for a few hours with minimal effort.

Map out a world-class donut crawl

$-$$Various locations Chicagoans don’t have a problem with a little extra Midwestern girth, especially following another grueling winter trapped in cold and darkness. If you want to truly experience the city like the locals do, you should also eat like they do. Which means eating donuts. Lots of them. Try creating your own crawl of any of the best donuts in Chicago or sit back and leave it to the experts. Either way, you can’t go wrong with a visit to Do-Rite, one of the best in the nation.

...Or take a boozy boat tour

$$ Various locations On a nice summer day in Chicago, there’s no better way to see the city than by boat (just ask Vince Vaughn in The Break-Up). But not all booze cruises are created equal. From laid-back architecture tours to raucous floating tiki bars (with waterslides) that you can rent out with 70 of your idiot friends, Chicago knows that this is the best way to enjoy its picturesque lake and river views.

$$-$$$Various locations Instead of dragging your out-of-town guests to some stupid skyscraper tourist trap, let them enjoy the jaw-dropping views while hanging out with real-life actual Chicagoans at one of the many excellent rooftop bars that dominate the city skyline. Drumbar in Streeterviller, the J. Parker in Lincoln Park, and Cindy's in the Loop are all fine options. And several of our rooftop bars are open year-round, so you have no excuse not to pay at least one of them a visit.

Go full Ferris Bueller at a Cubs game

$$$Wrigleyville You didn’t actually think we were going to get to the end of this list without mentioning a Cubs game, did you? Is it touristy? Yes. Is it expensive? Yes. Is it worth it? Hell yes. Ferris Bueller was not wrong when he bailed on his responsibilities to pay homage to one of America’s most iconic ballparks. And if you’re in town when the Cubs are playing and you don’t meander over to Wrigley to take in a game, you might as well be Ed Rooney.

And finally, make a pilgrimage to the Shit Fountain

FreeUkrainian Village The Art Institute of Chicago and Museum of Contemporary Art are well-known institutions of fine art that are more than worthy of a visit, but street art is where the city’s gems can be found. Tour the colorful street murals of Pilsen or head to Ukrainian Village to behold the one and only Shit Fountain: a human feces-shaped sculpture on a residential front lawn created by a Chicagoan fed up with dog poop. Cheers.

$$Lakeview We get it -- not everyone is into bowling. But Southport Lanes is a must-see for anyone visiting Chicago. The old bar has a history as a speakeasy with a brothel upstairs, and while things are much more legitimate and family-friendly now, it’s still got that old Chicago vibe, including real-life, human pin-setters who like to get involved in the game. Be ready to tip the pin-setters with cash and keep score by hand, and enjoy a beer at one of the few old neighborhood bars left on the swanky Southport Corridor.

Free-$Pilsen Forbes recently named Pilsen one of the coolest neighborhoods in the world, and they’re not wrong. Wander through this vibrant Mexican neighborhood to take in some beautiful street art and eat some equally beautiful tacos. Be sure to hit up the National Museum of Mexican Art, which is free for everyone, every day of the year (closed on Mondays). Hot tip: Swing by Don Churro at 1626 S. Blue Island Avenue for some delicious, no-frills, no-fuss dessert.

$Lakeview, Logan Square One of the coolest things about Chicago is the Music Box Theatre, a 90-year-old movie palace in the Lakeview neighborhood that plays all kinds of films, old and new, in two theaters. Get there early to catch a drink in the lounge and (if you’re lucky) to listen to a live organist before show time. If you’re closer to the Northwest side, hit up Logan Theatre.

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Free-$$$Ravenswood Over the past few years, Ravenswood has really stepped up as a great spot for creatives of all kinds: It’s been called “the new Printers Row” because of all the screenprinters popping up in once-vacant industrial spaces; it’s home to Malt Row, featuring eight breweries in walking distance; and it features Lillstreet Art Center, one of the best-known ceramics facilities and galleries in the country.

FreeDowntown Yes, go see The Bean, but if your friends are into iconic public art works, don’t stop there. Swing by the “Chicago Picasso,” or the Calder “Flamingo,” or the Tiffany dome in the Chicago Cultural Center. Head down to the southern end of Grant Park to walk among the giant, headless sculptures that make up “Agora.” Take a selfie with the Art Institute lions. If it’s summertime, catch the Buckingham Fountain while it’s on. The concentration of world-class public art in downtown Chicago is astounding and not to be missed.

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Jay Gentile is a Thrillist contributor, and he always hits the Times Square Sbarro with Michael Scott whenever he’s in NYC. Follow @thejaygentile.